lit.eifel Reading Kall — Frank Goosen reads "Lovely Rita"

lit.eifel — Literature in unusual places in the Eifel

lit.eifel is one of North Rhine-Westphalia's most distinctive literary festivals. Instead of a concentrated festival week in one location, the non-profit association lit.eifel e.V. distributes its readings over seven months (April to November) and across the entire Eifel region — Monschau, Blankenheim, Mechernich, Bad Münstereifel, Kall, Roetgen, Weilerswist, and other small Eifel towns. The concept: Literature in unusual places. A former brewery in Blankenheim, a rectory in Roetgen, a castle moat in Bad Münstereifel — the reading venues are often attractions in themselves.

October 7, 2026 — Frank Goosen reads "Lovely Rita"

As part of the 2026 autumn season, on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at 7:00 PM, bestselling author Frank Goosen from Bochum will read from his latest novel "Lovely Rita" in Kall (Euskirchen district). Frank Goosen (* 1966) is one of the best-known contemporary writers from the Ruhr area — author of "Liegen lernen" (2001), "Pokorny lacht" (2007), "Sweet Dreams" (2010), and many other novels that capture life in NRW (especially in Bochum) with humor, melancholy, and sharp observation.

"Lovely Rita" — The Novel

"Lovely Rita" is Goosen's most recent novel and thematically connects to his exploration of the Ruhr area, the generation of his protagonists, and the music of the 1970s and 1980s. The title refers to the Beatles song "Lovely Rita" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) — an indication that music and generational identity also play central roles in this novel. Frank Goosen reads passages, comments, and answers questions — a classic author reading in the best sense.

lit.eifel — The 2026 Festival Program

The autumn reading in Kall is part of the entire lit.eifel 2026 program, with further highlights:

• July 10, 2026 — Weilerswist: Jehona Kicaj reads "ë" (novel by a young Kosovo-German author)
• July 15, 2026 — Roetgen: Harald Welzer reads "Das Haus der Gefühle"
• October 7, 2026 — Kall: Frank Goosen reads "Lovely Rita"
• Further dates: Bad Münstereifel, Blankenheim, Mechernich, Monschau — spread across April-November 2026

Concurrently, the 13th Eifel Youth Literature Prize is underway with the theme "Hoffen & Träumen" (Hoping & Dreaming) — a writing workshop initiative for young Eifel authors.

Kall in the Euskirchen District

The municipality of Kall (around 11,000 inhabitants) is located in the Euskirchen district, at the transition from the southern Eifel to the Rhineland. Known as a pilgrimage site (Wallfahrtsstätte Heimbach), a holiday region (Eifel National Park in close proximity), and a small railway hub on the Eifel rail network. lit.eifel's choice of Kall as a reading venue is programmatic: not in a big city, but in a place where literature rarely visits throughout the year. The specific venue for the reading will be announced by lit.eifel in advance.

Sponsors and Supporters

lit.eifel e.V. is supported by the Ministry for Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia through regional cultural funding, supplemented by local sponsors and donations. Tickets are available via ticket-regional.de and the lit.eifel newsletter.